Robert Brownhall

Overview

Robert Brownhall is a realist painter, inspired by his local environment. In his twenty-year-long practice, he has developed a unique style portraying a birds-eye view of scenes, characterised by a strong connection to place, moody nocturnes, broad sweep panoramas and gritty vignettes of urban life. These range from urban scenes and recreational areas in Brisbane and on the nearby Gold and Sunshine Coasts, to the ski slopes of New South Wales, and the New England Highway and Sydney. These paintings have significantly extended the visual poetry associated with these areas of work and play in Australia.

 

Brownhall cites Edward Hopper and Pieter Bruegel as influences, but equally important to him is process. Brownhall draws — as a way of thinking through images, to record the scenes he observes — often from his car or high rise buildings, beaches and parks — and as an end in their own right. At night he may use a torch or street light, allowing the light to ‘paint’ the scene. Notes about colour, mood and ambience may be recorded on the pencil sketch. However he notes, “When I paint from a drawing, the scene changes with the translation”. Imagination fleshes out the sketch, creating the strong artistic personality evident in the finished work.

As a result, Brownhall’s paintings are not ‘real’ scenes any more than a novel is a transcription of life. There is something amiss, strange, or intriguing here, alongside a sensibility that lulls you into a false sense of reality.

 

Brownhall works from a home studio on an acreage property at Upper Brookfield, on Brisbane’s western outskirts, not far from where he grew up. 

Works
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas, New York skyline painting. Realism.
    Buildings in Morning Sun, NY, 2023
  • Robert Brownhall oil on canvas, painting of a couple on the balcony of The Getty. Realism.
    Balcony Couple, The Getty, 2020
  • Robert Brownhall oil on canvas, painting of New York skyscrapers. Realism.
    Dawn Skyscrapers, NY, 2020
  • Robert Brownhall oil on canvas, painting of sunset reflection on skyscraper. Realism.
    Sunset Reflection, 2020
  • Robert Brownhall oil on canvas, painting of Central Park at night. Realism.
    Moon over Central Park, 2020
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas, foggy painting of beach with fair and pier. Realism.
    Pier in the Mist, 2020
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas painting of desert with mountains and blue sky. Realism.
    Hills in the Sun, Las Vegas, 2020
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas, painting of Santa Monica roller coaster, realism.
    Beach Figures, Santa Monica, 2020
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas, painting in red of a city skyline, plane view. Realism.
    Lights below no. 2 , 2019
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas, painting in red of a city skyline, plane view. Realism.
    Lights below no. 3, 2019
  • Robert Brownhall oil on canvas, Painting of Girl with Dachshund, New York Realism.
    Girl and Dachshund, NY, 2019
  • Robert Brownhall oil on canvas, painting of New York bridges. Realism.
    Bridge Silhouette, 2019
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas, street view of sunny road with blue sky. Realism.
    Venice Beach Surfers, 2019
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas, painting of skaters at sunset in LA. Realism.
    Sunset Skaters, LA, 2019
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas of dramatic mountain landscape. Realism.
    Red Rock Mountains, 2019
  • Robert Brownhall, oil on canvas, painting of skyscraper and desert with mountains. Realism.
    Mountain Reflection, Las Vegas, 2019